THE CONGRESS: Work Done, Feb. 5, 1940

The Senate passed its first appropriation bill, the $251,822,588
National Defense Deficiency Bill, after trimming it $13,000,000. The
House had already eliminated $7,000,000. Total saving over budget
recommendation: 7%.

The House passed its third and fourth appropriation bills: one for
Treasury-Post Office supply, after cutting it $11,491,900, 9% below
Mr. Roosevelt's budget; another a $58,505,100 urgent deficiency bill
(half for naval armaments, half for income-tax refunds), after lopping
off 3%.

These piddling nicks out of the President's "bedrock" budget
were unimportant in themselvescommittees of both Houses were making
bigger gashes in other...